Title
Resolution to Approve a Memorandum of Understanding Between the City of Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County for the Bandemer-Barton Trail and Underpass Project
Memorandum
Attached for your review and action is a resolution to approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City of Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County (County) to collaborate on a project known as the Bandemer-Barton Trail and Underpass Project (Project). This MOU is intended to describe in general terms the anticipated stages through which the Project will proceed and the relative anticipated roles, efforts, obligations and responsibilities the City and County expect to undertake in conjunction with those efforts and phases.
The Project includes a pedestrian tunnel that will extend beneath the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) railroad tracks between Barton Nature Area and Bandemer Park and would provide a highly desired non-motorized connection. The project also includes extending the Border-to-Border Trail (B2B) through Barton Nature Area, while a non-paved trail is retained. This project is a critical gap on the B2B trail, which is a part of the statewide Iron Belle Trail, and it is one of the final hurdles to overcome connecting the City with the parks and along the Huron River. This project will also improve non-motorized traffic around the North Main Street & M-14 corridor by providing a safe pedestrian and bicycle gateway to the City.
A feasibility study was completed in 2020 which confirmed the project feasibility and provided a preferred design and updated costs. The City and County have begun design engineering on the project with the goal of construction in 2024 or 2025. Funding opportunities have become available through our partners at the County and Huron Waterloo Pathways Initiative, and the Iron Belle Trail has become a priority for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources grants.
The MOU attached sets forth the understanding and the roles and processe...
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